The Historian
by prsn110
Summary: Knowledge is power. So what if Naruto sought knowledge more than just raw power? What if he learned of a lost era?


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

In the world of Ninjas, there is no such thing as enough information. The more knowledge you have, the more likely you are to survive. The more you know, the more you know how to counter. The more you study, the more you understand what you're getting into.

This is the story of a man who sought out to learn everything there was to know about the dangerous world he lived in, and how he rose to the top.

* * *

He shuffled around the wall slowly, trying to prevent loud noises. He could see the exit. Almost there...!

"Oh ho, what do we have here?" a cheery voice came from behind him.

_Shit!_ He turned around slowly, smiling sheepishly. Towering above him was the store owner, an old man with gray hair slicked back. He looked to be about sixty years old, and he still had an athletic build, despite his advanced age. He was a cheery fellow, always smiling. In his hands was a notepad and a pencil.

"Let's see what you've got there. A loaf of bread, some instant ramen, and three pairs of chopsticks. Okay, I'll just add that to your tab. Your current total is 545 ryo. Pay it off when you can. Have a good day, lovely customer!" the old man smiled and ushered him out the front door rather than the back door he was currently trying to escape through. The boy blinked at the door that just shut in front of him.

"What... just happened?" he wondered.

The reason for his confusion was simple: nice things never happened to him. This boy was the subject of ridicule and hate for his entire six years of living, so he had known no different. His name was Uzumaki Naruto, prison of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Good things didn't exist in his world. But this man, this old shopkeeper, was a light in his dark world. So he had become attached instantly.

* * *

Every time he needed something, he went to the old shopkeeper. Whether it be advice, help with his homework, or groceries, the old man was the first person he went to. It was like the man was his own grandfather or something. It felt nice.

One day, after the academy dismissed him for the day, he went to hang out at the old man's shop. He just wanted to talk, like he usually did. When he showed up, the old man was reading a book.

"Oi, Ojii-san!" Naruto called out. He took a look at the book, and scrunched his nose in disgust. "History? Why're ya reading that?" Naruto asked. The old man chuckled.

"Young Naruto, history isn't just politics, you know. History can be as magical as any fictional story," the shopkeeper replied. He pulled up a chair next to his own and motioned for Naruto to sit down. "Here, let's play a game. I'll tell you a story, and you'll try to guess whether or not it's something that actually happened." Naruto pouted.

"I don't wanna learn about history!" he said. The old man sighed and smiled.

"Then I'll be sure to make it interesting. I'll even bet you won't be able to tell if it's history or not!" the old man said. Naruto thought hard about it, then nodded slowly.

"Fine then. But it better be a good story!" he said. The old man laughed.

"Of course!" Then he began. "Once upon a time, there was a small woman, frail and weak. She hated the way everyone fought all the time, so she sought to stop the fighting. There was a bedtime story that she was told about a tree that her family was in charge of taking care of, supercharged with power. The power was accumulated in the form of a fruit hanging at the top of the tree, a fruit that only grows once every thousand years. This power, she thought, would hold the key to stopping the fighting. So she found the tree, and saw a golden fruit dangling from the highest branch on the tree. It was a massive tree, however, and would take a long time to climb. She spent years learning her way around the tree, but she finally managed to make it to the top. Once she made it, she ate the fruit and gained incredible power. Using that power, she subjugated the world, stopping the fighting in the process.

"Later, she had two children who were also born with the same power as her, and at first she was ecstatic. However, as they grew into adulthood, she realized that she was jealous of them. She wanted to be the sole owner of this incredible power, and so she tried to kill her children. In the process, her power responded to her dark thoughts and turned her into a giant monster. The children, now men of pure hearts and strong bodies, managed to defeat her and seal her away. They took her monstrous body and formed the moon out of it, and they took her soul and imprisoned it inside the stronger brother's body. Thus, the tyrant's reign of terror was over and the world was now in an era of peace," the old man finished his story on a happy note.

Naruto was hanging onto every word uttered. He was enthralled in the story. He snapped out of it at the question the man asked him.

"So, son, do you think that was history or fiction?" Naruto didn't hesitate for a second.

"Fiction, obviously!" Naruto stated with confidence. The old man let out a chortle.

"Well, it was real! That is the story of how people got chakra! The stronger brother was the revered Sage of Six Paths, his brother was the one who created the art of sealing, and his mother was the beast who originally ate the World Fruit!" the old man explained, grinning stupidly. Naruto's eyes went wide.

"That's _real_? There's no way!" he said. The old man shrugged.

"I'd like to tell you more about history, but that made me exhausted," the man said, standing up and yawning. He paused for a second, then snapped his fingers. "I know! Why don't you come by every day after school, and I'll tell you all about history! A story a day!" the shopkeeper decided. Naruto bounced up and down in his seat.

"If history is like this, then I'll come right after the academy gets out! Every day!" Naruto exclaimed.

Thus began Naruto's journey into the history of the Ninja World.


End file.
